BCC debt balloons to $106 million

Bulawayo City Council (BCC)'s debt has ballooned to over $105 million in six months and the local authority is struggling to service it, latest council minutes have shown.

The debt is about 67% of council's $158 million 2015 budget. BCC lost $47 million in 2013 after the government directed all municipalities to cancel domestic water bills and property taxes incurred by households between February 2009 and June 2013, citing a difficult economic environment.

Since the directive, according to the latest council minutes, municipal debt has increased to $106 million while revenue collected compared to the same period last year slightly improved by almost 7% to around $5,9 million from $5,5 million.